Boot-strap gage



UNITED STATES PATENT Orricrt..

OTTER JOHNSON, OF LORDSBURG, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

BOOT-STRAP GAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,474, dated September 1 1888- Application filed May 8, 1888. Serial No. 273,206.

T0 at whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, OTTER JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lordsburg, in the county .of Grant and Territory of New Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding or Glasping Straps to Boot Legs and Guiding the Stitching of the same thereto; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The common practice of boot-fitters when attachingstraps to boot-legs is to paste or fasten the straps in position on the inner side of the boot-leg over the seam before the upper is turned, and then stitch the same to the bootleg by a sewing-machine, the line where the stitching is to run being marked on the upper by some suitable means.

My invention relates to a device for holding or clasping astrap to a boot-leg in position for sewing the same thereto, and indicating exactly where the line of stitching is to commence and where terminate, in order not to run the stitching too far past the ends of the strap; and it has for its object to provide a very simple and inexpensive device for this purpose whereby the straps may be as easily sewed to the boot-leg after the boot is finished as it can be before the upper is turned, and without fastening or pasting the strap in position and without marking the line for the stitching, thus enabling inexperienced fitters to perform the work with great expedition and accuracy; and it consists of the parts and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a front or face view of my device in position on a bootleg; Fig. 2, a rear or back viewof the device; Fig. 3, a cross-section on the line y y, Fig. l; and Fig. 4, a like section on the line at at, Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents the face plate, and B the back plate, of my device. These plates are made of any suitable metal and secured one above or on the other at one end, but separated by or having the strips a between, said stripsextending along the outer edges of the plates from the line b to and across the upper end of (No model.)

the same, so as to leave a recess, as at c, between the plates, the width of the strips being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Along the edge of the plate B, on its inner face and parallel with its outer edge, strips (1 are secured, which serve to maintain the correct distance between the plates. The strips (1, as shown in Fig. 3, are not as wide as the parts of plate B that they rest upon, the latter extending a short distance beyond them.

In the center of plate A a narrow slot, e, is formed, which extends from near the upper end of the plate to the line b, and immediately below and at-the end of this slota small crossslot, f, is formed in the plate, and two long narrow slots, are formed in the lower portion of the plate parallel to each other, which extend from the line b to a short distance above the lower end of the plate A.

In the central portion, 72, of the plate A a short narrow slot, k, is formed, and below this slot a series ofsorew-threaded perforations, m, are made, which are adapted to receive a setscrew, 1, working through the center of a slide, 0, which is fitted over the plate A and adapted to be easily adjusted along said plate and held in its adjusted position by said screw 1". At the foot or end of the central portion, h, a cross-slot, s, is formed in the plate,corresponding to slot f. The rear or back plate, B, is provided with two slots, n, corresponding to the slots 9 in length and location,but are made slightly'wider, for a purpose which will be hereinafter described.

The plate A is provided with graduated scales on its outer face,one of which commences at the line b and runs in this instance from the numeral 1 to 3, although it may run to a higher number, if desired, toward one end of the plate, and the other commencing at theline b and running from 1 to 6, or higher, if desired, toward the other end of the plate, this latter scale being duplicated on the back plate. These numerals are cut in the plates in any desired manner to make them durable and plain. At a suitable point in the upper part of plate A screw-threaded perforations are formed to receive the set-screws p, and correspondingscrew-threaded perforations may be formed in the plate B, as indicated in Fig. 2,

if desired; but they are not essential, as will be explained hereinafter. At the lower end of plate A a screw-threadcd perforation is formed for the setserew o.

D represents the upper part of a boot-leg, and E a strap inserted between the plates A and B, which is to be sewed to the bootleg.

To use my device,a strap,of suitablelength, is doubled and inserted in the spaeec between the plates with its doubled end forward, and there secured by the set-screws p, which may IO either clamp it in place against the back plate, whlch is preferred, or they may be formed with sharp points and pass through the strap into the perforations in plate B beneath.

The strap may be easily inserted by means of a small piece of sheet metal of the required width and thickness, which is inserted between the fold of the strap and then inserted between the plates, pushing the strap as far into the recess 0 as it is desired to have the strap project or extend above the top of the boot-leg, this being determined by the scale on the upper part of the plate A, when the piece of sheet metal may be withdrawn. This being done and the strap firmly held in the desired 2 position by the screws the device is then placed astride the boot, with the plate B and end of the strap on the inside and adjusted accurately thereon, with the central portion, it, exactly over the scam, this being readily ac- 0 complished by means of the openings or slots f, k, and s, enabling the operator to see the scam, in which position it is secured by tightening the set-screw 0, thus clamping the bootleg against theplate B. The point in the scale 5 on the plate 13 to which the free ends of the strap extend is then noted, and the slide 0 set at the corresponding point on the scale on plate A and securely held in that position by the set-screw r. The strap may then be easily 0 and accurately stitched to the boot-leg by any sewing-machine used by boot-fitters, the stitching being run in the slotsg, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1, the slide showing exactly how far down the stitching should'extend.

The object of making the slots on wider than slots gis to prevent the stitching being done too near the edges of the strap, which might occur were both slots the same width; but with the upper one narrowest the line of stitching will be confined to a narrower space.

This device may be used in connection with any sewing-machine employed by boot-fitters.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters 5 Patent, is

1. The combination,in a clasp and guide for boot-fitters, of the plates A B, having the graduated scales formed thereon secured together at one end, one on the other, and having the recess 0 between them, and provided with the parallel slots 9 a, said plate A having the longitudinal slots e 7e and cross-slotsf s and series of screw-threaded perforations, the slide 0, the set-screw 9', working through said slide, and the clamping set-screws 0 p, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a device for clamping straps to boot-legs, of the plates A. B, having a recess between them and provided with graduated scales on their outer faces, the parallel slots 9 a, formed in said plates, the slot 0, formed in said plates, the set-screws p, for securing the strap between said plates, the adjustable slide 0, and means for securing said plates to a boot-leg, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTER JOHNSON.

\Vitnesses:

W. Fiiwonr'r, H. AMBLER. 

